Ok. So now up to this point, we have talked about the entire season of Christmas. But after Christmas, as in the states, we have a week before we celebrate again. But instead of one big night with a day after to recover, the German culture here has three days to close out the holiday season. The first is Silvester (or Sylvester, as it is spelled in English).
Pope Silvester I was a pope from 315 till his burial on Dec. 31st in 335. He is credited with healing of leprosy and the baptism of Emperor Constantine I, although this is disputed. During his reign as pope, he went a long way towards cementing the power of the Catholic church and its place within the Roman government. He was also the overseer of many important building projects, including St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. The feast day for celebrating this important church figure is December 31st, hence the name for the day of Silvester. Modern day customs for New Year's Eve for Germans don't differ too much from those of ours in American. There is celebrating, champagne or sparkling wine, fireworks, and much hugging and kissing. In Berlin, they take the party to the street with over a million people much in the same way we think if the New Year's Eve celebrations in New York City. Unlike our tradition of rocking in the New Year with Dick Clark and the ball dropping, though, they have a television tradition of their own: Dinner for One. This program has been broadcasted in English as early as 1963 here in Germany. It is an English theatrical production about an elderly upper-class woman having her 90th birthday. It is famous for the catch phrase of "Same procedure as every year" that has become part of the vernacular. Ironically, it is little known in England.
New Year's Day is celebrated here also about the same. It is also a national holiday and is often spent skiing or quietly with family. In some cases, it is spent catching up on sleep from the late night activities the day before. It can also be a day to give gifts to those who have helped you throughout the year, such as the mail carrier. The common phrase here that is wished the same way we wish Happy New Year is "einen guten Rutsch!" which means "a good slide" (into the new year). It is also sometimes said as "Prosit Neujahr!" Germans also have the traditions of making New Year Resolutions, or Neujahrsvorsätze.
The final day ending the season of Christmas is Heilige Drei Könige. In the church, this day is known as Epiphany in English speaking religions. This is the celebration of the three wise men, or magi, coming to see the infant Jesus. They brought the gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold. Here, we have found these wonderful little "smoking men". It is a wooden figurine that has the inside hollowed out. Inside, you put an incense smoker, whose smoke then comes out the pipe, mouth, or in the case of a woman, teapot or such. We bought the incense smell of frankincense to find out what this ancient smell was all about. I like it. It is woody and earthy. Tradition is that since this is the last day of the entire Christmas season, it is also the day to completely remove all decorations. An interesting custom leading up to this day from New Year's Day is the continued caroling of children. They go door to door with three children dressed as the wise men and a fourth carrying the star, singing Epiphany carols and asking for donations. At the end, they will write on the door 20 C+M+B 09. This is the number of the year (2009) and the three initials of the wise men (never knew they had names): Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. The placement of this on your door wishes you good luck and protection throughout the year.
The phrases for the day are Merry Christmas: Fröhliche Weihnachten! (frer leech eh vi nach tehn where the "er" of frer is like in fern, each ch is that cat sound, and the "i" in vi is long like in kite) and Happy New Year: einen guten Rutsch! (i nehn goot ehn rootsh where the "i" is a long sound like in kite).
The question of the day is "What is the Gregorian Calendar and why is it important?"
Auf Wiedersehen,
Frau Spitzer
